The positioning and retaining of endotracheal tubes in infants is a troublesome problem in hospitals because of the need for displacement of the tube during care of the infant both by the nursing personnel and by the mother. Prior to the present invention, there has been no endotracheal tube holder which has been entirely satisfactory for use with infants.
In the care of infants, it is not only necessary to frequently attend to the cleaning and diapering of the infant, but also it is desirable to change the sleeping position of the infant so that the head of the infant is not adversely affected by prolonged periods in one position. Furthermore, the natural sucking response of the infant must be nurtured and parental bonding must be maintained during the care of the infant.
The most common practice in positioning and retaining endotracheal tubes is to simply use adhesive tape to anchor the tube adjacent the mouth and perhaps along the side of the face. The use of tape requires constant observation since the tape adjacent the mouth may lose its adhesion due to salivation or simply due to repeated mouth movement of the infant. Furthermore, the flexible nature of the tape permits undesired axial movement of the tube, which may affect the position of the internal tip of the tube in the body cavity. Normally, the positioning of the tip of the tube in the cavity is critical. Repeated removal and replacement of adhesive irritates the tender skin of the infant and without changing the position of the tube, there is a likelihood for creating a palatal groove in the infant.
Mechanical holders have been produced but such holders tend to be cumbersome and difficult to use and are generally not available in sizes appropriate for infants.